


Ink & Flowers

by Angelscythe



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 13:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30022566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelscythe/pseuds/Angelscythe
Summary: One day, Holst Goneril come to a Tattoo Parlor and asks a tattoo with the name 'Hilda' written on; the tattoo artist, who immediately falls unde his charm, wonder who is this Hilda and if, perhaps, he could dream of kissing this stranger?
Relationships: Bernadetta von Varley & Glenn Fraldarius, Dedue Molinaro & Holst Goneril, Glenn Fraldarius/Holst Goneril
Collections: Glennst Weekend





	Ink & Flowers

For the 11th time, Glenn Victor Faldarius leaned over Caspar Von Bergliez, his long hair in a sidecut hold in a bun. And yet, some blue thread appearing like the veil of night itself gently caressed the pectorals of the man. More than once, Glenn had to push them away while groaning a ‘stop laughing’ and already, his hand invaded the chest once again.

“I should give you a fidelity card,” Glenn said, his thumb brushing the pectorals and melting colour away.

The bell of the entry echoed in the room.

“Can I laugh, there?”

Glenn glanced at the entry. “Yes. Can I leave you a few seconds? Tell me if it pleases you for now.”

If it had been anyone else than Caspar, Glenn would have pointed out the big mirror in the corner of the quite tiny room. But Caspar came so often, Glenn had already prepared some cacao for him or even shared a meal with him. Not a day when they focused their efforts on the chest! No, it was for a design on the calf where no sanitary risk would be infriged.

Yes, Caspar regularly pushed the door of this workshop.

The first time, three years ago, he requested a little cat paw tattoo on the thumb’s bones. And after three years, a fire tattoo on the biceps, a symbol from two of his favourite license–Kingdom Hearts and Aggretsuko–and the name of his lover lingering on his heart, Glenn deployed a majestic black eagle spreading on the chest but dodged the sweet four lettered name. Obviously. This paint would request more than one visit and Caspar’s mind still wired with a myriad of ideas.

He really deserved a fidelity card.

Glenn stepped outside the room, removing the gloves he wore and throwing them away to ease the Gods of Hygiene. ‘What can I do for you?’ he had pronounced those words so often he became bored of this litany however, today, as his eyes landed on the guy who had pushed open his door, he was suddenly mute.

A ray of Sun had decided to visit him.

A smile so splendid Glenn wouldn’t even beg for an Eclipse. He was ready to offer his view if he could watch this smile just a bit more. Enthralled, him who never really bothered to watch anyone if not to discern tattoos on their skin, could only admire the round face, the sparkling eyes appearing even more seducing thanks to pink and gold colour, and this sweet little braid dancing in the room while the guy moved forward.

Moved forward?!

Before Glenn could realize it, a peach scent invaded him, firmly decided to enslave him to this stranger whose pink lips moved with energy and yet tenderness.

Wait. The lips moved? The pretty guy talked to him?!

“Excuse me? Can you repeat?”

“Yes! I asked if I could have a tattoo for the 3rd February. It’s really important it’s this date! I can pay more if needed.”

“N… No, you’re early enough to ask this date. What would you like?”

The guy moved slightly and showed his left biceps. “I don’t have a precise idea and I wanted to ask you to draw it for me if it’s fine? I wanted something there. I thought about placing it on my heart first but… but here it would be better!! I’d like something with roses, and a Moon shape…”

“I love Moon,” Glenn said.

The words had barely broken the barrier of his lips that Glenn despised his stupidity. ‘I love Moon’?!

“Me too!! It’s the symbol of our Region!”

Oh, someone from the Alliance. Perhaps it explained the accent, or the soft hues of the skin.

“And also it’s very important there is the name ‘Hilda’ on it!”

Glenn’s phantasm shattered at the second.

Hilda.

Damn, the guy had already given his heart to someone! Not that it would have changed anything if he hadn’t someone in his life yet! Why would he even think that?! Why was he so disappointed?

“We can draw it,” Glenn said, gathering everything left of professionalism within him. “It’d be higher, of course. Since we have to do the design.”

“Of course! Your price is mine, don’t worry.”

“Can… I have a name?”

The guy shoved down his hand in his pocket and retrieved a wallet from where he removed a pretty visit card, all with pink and flowers. Glenn didn’t even know the kind of flowers but they were pretty.

“Dreams in Flowers

Holst Goneril

Open

Monday 8:00-14:00-16:00-18:00

Tuesday 8:00-14:00-16:00-18:00

Wednesday 8:00-14:00-16:00-18:00

Friday 8:00-14:00-16:00-18:00

Saturday 15:00-20:00

Sunday 9:00-12:00

Accompany you for wedding, birthday and big request on demand.”

“Florist?” Glenn stupidly said.

“Yes!”

Holst Goneril…

Glenn stared at the phone number and realized it was the first time he had the phone number of someone, compared to the number of time it had been asked to him and so he gave his best friend number to freak out people. He had this pretty guy’s number and he couldn’t even make use of it.

Glenn forced himself to walk to his desk and to the planning. He turned the pages and searched for the requested date.

“The 3rd February is a Friday,” Glenn said. “Do you want a rendez-vous between 14 and 16?”

“I’ll take my day off if needed. Just tell me what’s better for you!” Holst replied, walking to him.

“Very well. Since I don’t know what is the design yet and how much I’ll work on it, I think it’s better for you to come for 9:00. It might ask two hours, don’t worry.”

“Whatever floats your boat.”

Glenn wrote down the name of the man then looked up at him.

“I will request you to pay a part of the design yet, to book your place. You can cancel and be refunded unless you’re doing less than a week before.”

“I’m so definitely sure! I want the tattoo since so long! It was about time I prove my love for Hilda to the World!”

Glenn forced a smile, out of commercial habits, but he would have rather preferred not to be reminded the guy’s heart already belonged to someone else. Oh Dear Sothis, how he would have loved daydream about being loved by a man like this one.

“How much it would be? My friend told me to pay in cash so I took lot of cash.”

“Yes, cash is easier. The price isn’t fixed yet, depend of the amount of work. It can be 150 or 300.”

“I pay it, don’t worry,” Holst said. He pulled out his wallet and removed billets from it. “I give you 400 and if you need more…”

“Wait, this is…”

Glenn was used to receive a fair amount of money because tattoo asked time, expertise and lot of materials. But this seemed so much.

“If you need more when I come for the tattoo, please tell it to me.”

“I doubt you will have to pay more,” Glenn eased.

“Very well. But tell me, if needed. I really, really really wanna a tattoo to praise of Hilda is awesome.”

“We’ll make the most beautiful tattoo design.”

“Thank you!” Holst said, grabbing the pale hands to squeeze them in his.

“Th… Thank you.”

“I leave you then! And don’t hesitate to call me.”

“I will call you…” Glenn whispered. “For the design,” he quickly added.

“Yes! Thank you!”

Glenn felt sad when the customers let go of his hands but he kept smiling and watched at him as he left the workshop.

“Do you want to do this tattoo design?”

Glenn couldn’t help a jolt when he heard the voice coming from behind him. Bernadetta Von Varley was discreet and shy which made her appear like a ghost every now and then… She was so tiny, so invisible, she could eavesdrop on any conversation not even on purpose. And this time, it happened again.

“Why would I? You love that so much,” Glenn replied.

“But you like him.”

Glenn sighed. He never regretted to have accepted Bernadetta’s as an employee three years ago. The poor little girl had arrived with her portfolio and had pushed it toward him and then had gone to a chair where she awaited. At first, for two short seconds, Glenn believed she wanted to be tattooed but, then, he realized she wanted to apply. The thing was that Bernadetta had very poor social abilities and, as soon as she had to tattoo _someone_ she started to shiver like a leaf under the breeze. So Glenn never forced her to replace him with the clients. In contrary, he dealt with them, tattooed them but Bernadetta drew most of the orders and also made their catalogue.

“And what? It’s just a client like the others. You can do the art.”

Glenn checked his hair were correctly tied then washed his hands before putting gloves on and entered the room where Caspar waited.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“You’re welcome. And! Dude! I love it!!”

Glenn smiled. “Nice. Wait to see it finished.”

“But I can’t wait, dude!!”

Glenn smiled and sat by his side. He retrieved his equipment to pursue the big living art but… he realized he couldn’t totally focus on this. A smile blinded his view…

“Hm… What about Ashe?” Glenn asked.

If Caspar started to babble and he had to listen to what the client, who almost became a friend, said, then perhaps he will manage to focus a little?

To be honest, he was always glad to get new of them but for the very first time as Caspar portrayed a love life Glenn would never have… he started to care about the fact he might have crush, brush bodies sometimes, he would never be with someone.

He believed he didn’t mind about being alone–being alone was way simpler to his opinion–but he felt butterflies when this stranger’s face appeared in his mind.

But he had already one love in his life…

“Have you started that Holst’s tattoo?”

Glenn entered in the room where Bernadetta passed her days, drawing, and where the blessed coffee machine awaited. Glenn walked toward it directly. He needed lot of coffee… He wouldn’t have an appointment before one hour and he could rest, draw, send a plethora of message to his baby brother or validate Bernadetta’s work. Which wasn’t coming from him as such. It was very rare for Glenn to invalidate one of her precious work. But he had to photography and sent them to the customers, see if they were happy about it. Most of the time, it was validated but it happened Bernadetta would have to redo some part. Work she would always do when Glenn was by her side because she felt safer and stronger when he was around, and in case of doubts, he could reassure her and give advices.

“Holst?”

“Is the pretty guy from earlier. I mean, pink guy. Pink guy…”

Bernadetta couldn’t help a giggle and, as Glenn looked at her, she pressed her fingers on her mouth.

“Oh! And you remembered his name? You needed three tattoos to remember Cas’ one!”

It was true that, most of the time, Glenn called the client by the name of the tattoo he had to lay forever in their skin. He knew why he remembered the “pink guy”’s name…

Glenn poured a big mug of coffee and walked toward her.

“I’ve one hour. I think.” He grabbed a blank page and a pencil. He stared at it then started to sharpen it in a pencil sharpener until the edge was so acute, he might stab someone with it. “If you need me…”

“It’s fine. Thank you!” Bernadetta shivered with fear. “It’s fine, right?”

Glenn grabbed his phone and looked through the mail of the clients.

“No, you can pursue what you’re doing.”

Glenn had nothing he _had_ to draw so he let his pencil fall on the page and stated to sketch, his cheek on his hand.

Bernadetta stared at him. She observed him as the pencil caressed the page, turning it in grey with the sweetest stroke. Glenn was enthralled by his own drawing, by the features he dreaded to let fall in oblivion. If he sketched the visage, the soft locks falling on the wide forehead, the little nose, the big loving eyes with a soft make-up, then, he would never forget him… He traced the soft lips, so voluptuous, tender. He framed the perfect smile he saw earlier. He sketched the throat, the shoulders and the torso.

Glenn jolted suddenly. Haggard, he stared at Bernadetta who lightly touched his wrist.

“Yes?”

“You should do this tattoo. If you pour your heart in it, it will be the best tattoo you’ll never tattoo.”

“Why are you insisting so much?” Glenn asked with a sigh. “He is not for me. It’s useless to dream about someone I will never have the chance to…”

Glenn closed his eyes.

“You always said to me I must have courage.”

Glenn wanted to yell at her it wasn’t about courage but the fact he had this Hilda in his mind. But he would never yell at her.

He didn’t want those feelings.

He wanted to refuse making this tattoo but it also been so long since he made some design. Why not?

“I saw a cute man today!!! He was so…”

The word refused to break the barrier of the lips as Holst Prudentia Goneril arranged flowers and plants in the quite hot shop filled with a feverish scent.

“Sexy?” the other guy replied, placing down a big pot with a baby palm.

“Unique! So unique! I should have taken a pic of he! You could see him too!! He was a bit like you!”

“Of course…” the man gently smiled.

“But tiny and thin. Not very much muscles. But a sidecut!”

“Tiny and thin? We don’t see you often with tiny and thin guys. I thought you liked them buff only.”

“I do, Dedue! I do. But he was so pretty and sweet! He had a mole there!” Holst brushed his own skin, just above the lip, on the right. “I wanna smooch it! And he had…”

The door opened with a little bell sound.

“I’m coming!” Holst yelled to the customers. “I’m going to simp more after!” Holst swirled on his heels and walked to the entry. Only to freeze. “H… Hi…”

Dedue frowned, surprised to hear him that way. His patron was always so full of energy. Such a ray of sunshine, Dedue pretended the sunflowers followed Holst when he walked around. Dedue walked to the front store and saw a tiny and thin guy, with a mole above the lip and a sidecut in his long hair like the heavenly vault in the mid of the night.

“What can we do for you?” Dedue asked, since Holst said nothing.

“Oh, uh… Here is my employee Dedue Molinaro. The best employee I could dream of!”

“Thank you,” he replied. “And you’re too kind.” Dedue glanced at Glenn then at Holst. “I see you can handle our client alone so I’m going to take care of the flowers in the greenhouse.”

“Yes!! Thank you!” Holst replied. He waved at him with a pure smile then turned his head toward Glenn who stood in the entry. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m working on your tattoo and I would have loved real flowers to get inspiration from them.”

“Oh! So dedicated!” Holst smiled. “I’m so happy you’re already doing it! I’m so thrilled!”

Glenn couldn’t help a smile. Holst was so full of joy, so positive. Glenn liked that in him. Glenn always had the feeling he could find joy in nothing. He smiled because he wouldn’t bear the burden of hurting his beloved with the crippling depression snuggled within him. He smiled because he wanted his beloved to be happy… Felix’s happiness, above anyone else, mattered so much for him. He couldn’t lose this purity, the only thing worth it.

And while it was incredibly easy to smile, and feel happiness, around Felix, it was suddenly simple, once again. Holst inspired glee within him.

“What… what flowers do you think would be the better? What kind would you have? I know it’s roses and aimed for red roses but now…” He gulped as he noticed the amount of different kind of roses. “Why roses, by the way?”

“That’s her favourite flower,” Holst replied with a smile.

Glenn’s mind was like suddenly drench by cold water. Her. He shouldn’t forget about her…

“I know it’s a bit classical but I love her so much, I would forgive her anything.”

Glenn struggled to keep smiling. “And what are yours?” he asked, following the man’s trail as he walked to the roses.

“Carnations!” Holst gestured to the side of the shop gathering a plethora of the sweet flowers. “You can buy them for me if you want to.”

Glenn was struck by the soft win Holst made. He dreamed of doing so. He wanted to buy him flower.

Why did he…?

“Very well,” Glenn said. “Give me the kind of roses you want for your tattoo and give yourself the kind of carnations you would like to bring back home.”

“I was kidding!” Holst giggled and struck Glenn’s heart again. “But if you really want to, you should get them. It would have more mean if you choose them yourself. And so, if you change your mind, you can run away with the roses, only.”

“Okay…”

Glenn walked toward the carnations. They were so beautiful and he brushed one petal. He could hear Holst rummaging for the other bouquet in his back and he still wondered what brought him here. He never needed real flowers to tattoo flowers by the past. He used _real_ flowers, yes, but it was enough to search them on internet!

And yet.

Yet, here, he came to the shop, chatted with the man he pretended not to care about, and his emotions passed from bliss to intense sorrow when he remembered _she_ existed. Why did he keep forget about that stupid Hilda?!

He was about to buy flowers to the guy, but why?

In four months, he would tattoo the guy with the name of his girlfriend, they will never see again and he would know how he had yearned for him all the tattoo session.

This was so wrong.

“Can I take them?” Glenn asked.

“Yup. Be delicate, please.”

“Okay…”

Glenn removed twelve flowers from their pot. He couldn’t choose just one kind of flowers and he removed four light salmon-like carnations, four very intense but still pink and four white with the edge pink. He then approached the counter and realized how his hands shook.

Ten long seconds passed.

“Oh!! They are beautiful!!” Holst said. “Thank you so much! I’ll cherish them! But if you want, we can just pretend. You don’t need to buy them!”

“No. I want you to bring them home,” Glenn replied without watching him.

“You’re so swee…ouch.”

Glenn turned his head and saw Holst bringing his finger to his lips. “Are you okay?”

“Yes! Don’t worry, I’ve tetanus vaccine!” He winked. “I always prick myself on thorns.”

Glenn approached him, still holding the flowers, and couldn’t help taking his hand to look at it. He always did so with Felix. Well, he used to. Felix, 18 now, would be so annoyed if his brother still lashed him with gentle love and magic kiss at his age. Then why Glenn wanted to land a magic kiss on this finger?

It was so hard to resist the wish, the desire…

“At least, you won’t be afraid of the sting when I’ll take care of you.”

“Don’t worry about that!” Holst smiled. “Are you tattooed?” His expression changed immediately. “Ah! Sorry if it’s bad to ask! It’s a bit cliché to expect the tattoo artist to be tattooed, no?”

“I am tattooed,” Glenn eased.

“Did you do it yourself?”

Holst interest was genuine and excited. Glenn looked up at him and felt a burst of love and joy. He damned that Hilda because they were so close, he could have requested a kiss. He would have cancelled their appointment to never face him again after that, though!

“Not all of them. Most of them would be too hard to tattoo myself.”

“Why? Are they kinky? Can I see them?” Holst shook his head, his hand gently closing on Glenn’s hand. “I mean it in a general way. Not if they are kinky. Unless…”

Holst smiled again and Glenn really wanted to taste this smile with his lips.

Glenn nodded and forced himself to pull away so he could lay down the flowers on the counter then he unfastened the sleeve of his shirt and rolled it up. On his skin spread splotch of dark blue and purple like an aquarelle and peppered with white, mostly, and a bit of yellow dots to the point it looked like a constellation. It spread on the forearm then stopped, and started again somewhere else. Holst believed it was over but, then, Glenn did the same with the other sleeve and revealed more of the secret poetic strains.

“I couldn’t make that myself. But one day, I was bored and…” Glenn seemed to hesitate but then pulled up his shirt to show those constellations also spreading on his belly. “I tattooed myself the phase of the Moon on the feet.”

He wouldn’t say he did it also because he needed to feel the urge, the pain, of live. He wouldn’t say neither he often pressed a new dot in his constellations when he arrived at work. One more day he managed to live in a pretty tasteless life.

“This is beautiful.”

Holst put down the flowers next to the carnations and the two bouquets slithered toward each other. Mixed. And Holst approached Glenn.

“Can I?” he asked.

Glenn struggled to breath. And so, he only nodded. He stared at Holst when the fingers adorned with pink nails gently brushes the tender skin of his belly. He could have aimed for any other place. But Glenn understood how much he loved him more for having chosen those spots. And he grew fond of that adoration’s look on the round face…

“How many hours it requested?”

“A lot,” Glenn said with a laugh. He wanted to still feel his hand on his skin and he wanted to show him the marks he had on his thighs to feel the guy’s touch. Feelings he never felt before. Being undressed around people always made him uncomfortable and intrude thoughts drowned him when he looked at this guy. No… It couldn’t be. He wanted more but… “What Hilda would say if she saw that?”

“‘Go get him, bitch!’ probably!!’

Glenn blushed. “Wh… Why would she? You two are in an open relationship?”

“Us two?” Holst repeated. “Oh my fucking Goddess!! Hilda is my sister!!!”

Glenn stared at him. Stared at his guy who talked about his sister with so much love and was ready to get her name tattooed on his skin for her birthday and thought… yeah, he could totally do the same for Felix.

“I thought she was your girlfriend!”

“No! I’m so gay! But she is the love of my life!”

Glenn felt so relieved, although a bit taken aback by the easiness Holst talked about his sexuality.

“I love my baby brother too.”

“You have a baby brother!!” Holst smiled.

“He is soon 18 years old but he will always be my baby brother.”

Holst laughed. “I get you!! Hilda will be 19.”

“We’re quite alike.”

Glenn couldn’t help a smile and the warmth of the fingers against his skin. It was even more delightful since he knew this man was reachable. He could request a kiss. He could dream of more. He could dream of… a kiss? His body against his body smelling like peach.

“Do… I…” Glenn tried to find the words. He didn’t dare to talk. Didn’t dare to ask what he craved to ask. _Needed_ to ask. Holst looked at him with tenderness. “Can I… Are you… free?”

“Free?” Holst repeated.

Glenn nodded. He wanted to have the strength to go further with that question. Felix always told him how courageous he was, how he wanted to be like him but Glenn faced the fact: he was a coward. He truly was a coward.

A few words.

A few words, that was all he had to do but they stayed stuck in his throat as if they had thorns snuggled in his flesh.

“For tonight? Forever?”

Holst’s smile was brighter again.

“Forever…”

Holst grew closer, if this was only possible, and leaned over the tiny body. He was only ten or fifteen cm taller but he seemed so much bigger and it was hard for Glenn to deal with the flux of feelings pounding in his ribs with the rhythm of his heart and desire.

“Then I’m yours. Forever. I want to spend the eternity kissing the stars on your skin. I want to touch you and hug you. I want to love you like no one never dared to.”

“You barely know me,” Glenn replied against his lips. Is heart hammered so much it hurt. “But… But I’m feeling the same. Except the kiss every star part,” he added with a nervous laugh.

“I know we barely know each other but we’ll lose nothing to get to know each other.”

Glenn nodded with a tender smile. “We’ll lose nothing.”

He offered his lips to Holst and a divine rush swirled in his guts as their lips brushed each other then loved each other with the strength of the future calling them.


End file.
